After his victory in the 2024 election, Donald Trump quickly began assembling his administration. Among his first moves was the announcement of the unprecedented Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been appointed to lead this new department, tasked with identifying and cutting government waste. The challenge ahead is significant, as inefficiency has long been a hallmark of federal operations.
Musk has already started holding meetings on Capitol Hill and recruiting volunteers for DOGE. He also launched an official X account for the department, emphasizing its commitment to transparency. The account has been actively sharing areas of focus for the incoming administration, which takes office in January.
One of their initial priorities? Vacant government properties.
Federal government agencies are using, on average, just 12% of the space in their DC headquarters. The Department of Agriculture, with space for more than 7,400 people, averaged 456 workers each day (6% occupancy).
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 21, 2024
Why are American taxpayer dollars being spent to maintain empty… pic.twitter.com/qqhlqb3gRT
The post concludes with a compelling question:
“Why are American taxpayer dollars being spent to maintain empty buildings?”
This becomes even more alarming when you consider the sheer amount of money being wasted.
Most federal workers don’t physically show up, yet the cost of maintaining & providing energy for govt office buildings is $15BN/year (not counting billions more spent on office furnishings). The government owns 7,967 vacant buildings. This is nuts. Sounds like a job for DOGE.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 23, 2024
The trend of federal employees working from home began during the COVID lockdowns, and it seems they’ve grown to prefer remote work over returning to the office.
Literally thousands of empty buildings, not just in America, but around the world, paid for with your tax dollars!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2024
President-Elect Trump has stated firmly that he expects federal employees to return to the office, warning that those who refuse will face dismissal.
In contrast, the Biden administration has introduced measures to block any mandates requiring employees to report to work in person.
Trump wants to fire federal workers who don't return to office, calls telework deal 'ridiculous' https://t.co/KBZBYkYVNk
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 16, 2024
“The President-Elect outlined his stance during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
President-elect Donald Trump on Monday vowed to fire federal employees who don’t come back into the office, threatening to file a lawsuit challenging a Biden administration labor contract that cemented remote work benefits for thousands of government workers.
“If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” Mr. Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
“And somebody in the Biden administration even gave a five-year waiver of that so that for five years, people don’t have to come back into the office,” he said. “It’s ridiculous. So it’s’ like a gift to the union.”
Trump highlighted a recent contract negotiation between Biden’s Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees, which allows workers to be in the office as little as two days a week.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 42,000 workers, successfully extended the ‘telework’ provision in the contract through 2029.
Union President Everett Kelly stated that the union is ready to fight to protect this provision.
“Collective bargaining agreements entered into by the federal government are binding and enforceable under the law. We trust the incoming administration will abide by their obligations to honor lawful union contracts. If they fail to do so, we will be prepared to enforce our rights,” Kelley said.
Federal workers who do not want to return to the office will be fired. – President Trump
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) December 16, 2024
1000% agree with this.
The contract, granted to federal workers just weeks before Biden leaves the White House, appears to be an attempt to obstruct the Trump administration’s ability to implement its agenda. With a labor agreement mandating in-office work, any changes could face lengthy legal battles.
Did Biden manage to outmaneuver DOGE?
Only time will tell.
